For the First Time, Scientists Observe One of Earths Largest Glacial Floods in Greenland [Video]

Scientists have, for the first time, observed the unleashing of an enormous glacial lake flooding event in East Greenland. The rare outburst involved 3,000-plus billion liters of meltwater bursting forth in a matter of weeks.

Witnessed by researchers from the University of Copenhagen, the natural phenomenon provides insight into the powerful and potentially dangerous forces that can be released by meltwater, a press release from University of Copenhagen’s Niels Bohr Institute said.

“Imagine an enormous bathtub atop a mountain filled with water equivalent to three times Denmark’s annual water consumption, and then suddenly bursting. This is essentially what happened when the massive Catalina Lake in East Greenland released 3.4 cubic kilometers of meltwater — 3,000 billion liters — into the Scoresby Sound fjord,” the press release said.

The enormous volume of water released by the lake made it one of the three largest events of its kind ever to be documented.

The meltwater outburst flood happened from September 23 to October …